NDTCE’09, Non-Destructive Testing in Civil Engineering

Nantes, France, June 30th – July 3rd, 2009

Testing of Compressive and Bending Strength of Concrete and

Monitoring Acoustic Emission Parameters
Dunja MIKULIĆ1, Bojan MILOVANOVIĆ2, Ivan GABRIJEL3
1
Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
2
Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia,
bmilovanovic@grad.hr
3
Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract
The mechanism of compressive failure is still in progress to be clarified; this has been
tried with acquisition and analysis of acoustic emission parameters. The processing of the AE
data is often not trivial and because of that, simple tests on the concrete samples were made.
This paper deals with the relations between load and acoustic emission activities in concrete
under different loading conditions. The compressive strength loading test was done with
decreasing the friction between the specimen and the loading plates by means of rubber
backing and by that decreasing the shear stresses. During testing, the acoustic emission
activity was acquired. The three-point bending strength testing was also done. Cyclic loading
was applied in both uniaxial compression strength testing and three-point bending strength
testing in order to observe the Kaiser effect and Felicity ratio. Presented paper includes the
differences in reading the acoustic emission signal and its behavior during the loading, just
before the fracture and at the very time the concrete is fractured.

Résumé
Le mécanisme de rupture en compression n’a pas encore été tout-à-fait éclairci. Quelques
efforts en ce sens ont été faits avec la définition et l’analyse des paramètres d’émission
acoustique (AE). Souvent le traitement des données AE ne peut pas être considéré comme
banal et, pour cette raison, des essais simples on été faits sur les échantillons de béton.
L’auteur analyse les relations entre la charge et les activités d’émission acoustique en béton
sous conditions de chargement différentes. L’essai de résistance à la compression a été fait en
réduisant le frottement entre l’échantillon et la plaque de chargement à l’aide d’une pièce de
caoutchouc, et en réduisant les contraintes de cisaillement. Au cours de l’essai, les émissions
acoustiques ont été mesurées. La résistance à la flexion trois points a également été
déterminée. La charge cyclique a été appliquée au cours de l’essai de résistance à la
compression simple et aussi dans l’essai en flexion trois points et cela afin de respecter l’effet
Kaiser et le rapport Felicity. Les différences dans la lecture du signal d’émission acoustique,
et son comportement au cours du chargement, juste avant la fracture et à l’instant même de la
fracturation du béton, sont également présentés.

Keywords
Concrete, compressive strength, bending strength, Acoustic emission, Kaiser Effect

1 Introduction
Acoustic emission (AE) waves are elastic waves due to dislocation motions in a solid such
as cracking [1]. It is common experience that the failure of a concrete specimen under load is
accompanied by a considerable amount of audible noise. In certain circumstances, some
audible noise is generated even before ultimate failure occurs. Sub-audible sounds can be
 NDTCE’09, Non-Destructive Testing in Civil Engineering
Nantes, France, June 30th – July 3rd, 2009

detected at stress levels of perhaps 50% of the ultimate strength. With the sophisticated
equipment available today, sound can be detected at much lower loads, in some cases below
10% of the ultimate strength [2]. These sounds, both audible and sub-audible, are referred to
as acoustic emission and they are defined as the class of phenomena whereby transient elastic
waves are generated by the rapid release of energy from localized sources within a material
[3, 7]. Acoustic emissions, which occur in most materials, are caused by irreversible changes,
such as dislocation movement, twinning, phase transformations, crack initiation, and
propagation, debonding between continuous and dispersed phases in composite materials.
In this paper compressive strength loading test was done on concrete cubes and three-point
bending strength on prisms. There was no reinforcement or fibers in the samples and
therefore only cracking processes should cause acoustic emission. When compression
strength is tested acoustic emission could be generated due to friction between the specimen
and the loading plates and cracking of concrete. In order to remove the acoustic emission
events caused by friction, there was rubber backing installed between the specimen and the
loading plates. Cyclic loading was applied in both uniaxial compression strength testing and
three-point bending strength testing in order to observe the Kaiser effect, the phenomena
when acoustic emission is found not to occur in concrete that has been unloaded until the
previously applied maximum stress has been exceeded on reloading. Felicity effect as the
appearance of significant acoustic emission at a load level below the previous maximum
applied level was observed also.
The goal of this experimental study was to gain experience in Acoustic Emission analysis
and to understand its behavior in different failure mechanisms.

2 Experimental Details

2.1 AE Testing Apparatus

For the measurements, following equipment was used: a resonant type piezo-electric
sensor with an operating frequency range from 35 kHz to 100 kHz and a peak sensitivity of
75 V/(m/s), a preamplifier with a fixed gain of 40 dB and a µDISPTM AE main system.
In order to eliminate mechanical and electro-magnetic disturbances, a high-pass filter with
a cut-off frequency of 20 kHz, and a low-pass filter with a cut-off frequency of 200 kHz were
used. The threshold level was set to 35dB, slightly above the previously measured
background noise. The AE signals were captured with the AE WIN software and further
analyzed with Noesis software for advanced analysis of acoustic emission data.

2.2 Compressive Strength

Compressive strength testing was conducted in four different ways: (1) according to HRN
EN 12390-3:2001; (2) cyclic loading; (3) with perforated rubber backing between the
specimen and the loading plates; (4) with imperforated rubber backing between the specimen
and the loading plates. Compressive strength of the samples and loading steps during cyclic
loading are given in table 1.

Table 1. Properties of hardened concrete

ACCORDING TO CYCLIC PERFORATED IMPERFORATED
LOADING TYPE
HRN EN 12390-3 LOADING STEPS RUBBER RUBBER
LOADING 21.12
STRESS 61.89 50.70 22.87 25.17
(MPa) 66.35
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Nantes, France, June 30th – July 3rd, 2009

During the compressive strength testing, the crosshead velocity was kept constant at 0.25
MPa/s. Cyclic loading was performed in such manner that the loading steps would be
approximately 1/3 of concrete compressive strength. Applied load, crosshead displacement
and AE events were monitored during the testing of every specimen.
It has to be emphasized that with use of the rubber backing between the specimen and the
loading plates, shear stress in the sample was decreased. By applying this step, the failure
mechanism of concrete specimens was changed.
When compression strength is tested according to HRN EN 12390-3, AE could be
generated by friction and cracking of concrete, the failure of concrete is increasing gradually
with constant increase of damage degree [5]. When the rubber backing was used during the
compressive tests the specimens were failing suddenly with unstable spreading of cracks. The
result was that acoustic emission could be generated only from cracking of concrete. During
the cyclic loading of concrete cubes appearance of Kaiser effect and Felicity ratio were
monitored. Two samples of concrete cubes were tested for each configuration of compressive
strength. AE parameters were gathered with four piezo-electric sensors when compressive
strength was tested, one sensor on each side of the concrete cube. When bending strength was
tested only two sensors were used to gather the AE parameters. Because of the large variance
in absolute values of the AE parameters, only the results of one representative sample were
chosen to be presented. Although the differences in absolute values of the AE parameters are
significant for each of the sensors, the shapes of the graphs that are plotted by the AE
parameters remain very similar with respect to time, for all used sensors.

2.2.1 Compressive Strength According to HRN EN 12390-3

Figure 1. Applied load and hits rate vs. time Figure 2. Applied load & amplitude vs. time
From the figures 1 and 2 it can be seen that there is a lot of acoustic activity during the
entire duration of compressive strength testing and fracture of specimens cannot be defined as
brittle. The corresponding AE parameters, the hits rate and the maximum amplitude follow
the increase of the applied load in a different way. The hits rate is changing rapidly at the
beginning of the test, which is explained with the adjustment of the concrete specimen under
the loading plates and resulting friction cracks. Afterwards the hit rate is lower just before the
compressive strength is reached, when the hit rate increases rapidly (Fig. 1). The absolute
acoustic emission amplitude rate (Fig. 2) is high at the beginning of the test, decreases
continuously toward the end and increases rapidly just before the compressive strength is
reached.

2.2.2 Cyclic Loading

The results of the cyclic loading of the concrete cubes are presented in figures 3 and 4. The
hits rate is changing rapidly from the beginning of the test, after unloading the specimen there
 NDTCE’09, Non-Destructive Testing in Civil Engineering
Nantes, France, June 30th – July 3rd, 2009

is additional activity only after exceeding previous loading. When the loading was below
70% of ultimate load, Kaiser effect can clearly be seen, but when previous loading is greater
than 70 % of the ultimate loading, Kaiser effect is not evident and Felicity ratio can be
calculated (Fig. 3). The absolute acoustic emission amplitude rate is high during loading; this
is explained with adjustment of the sample under loading plates and friction between them.

Figure 3. Applied load and hits rate vs. time Figure 4. Applied load & amplitude vs. time

2.2.3 Continuous loading with the use of perforated rubber backing

From figures 5 and 6 it can be seen that there is a little acoustic activity during the
beginning stage of the test especially in comparison with the compressive strength testing
without the use of rubber backing. The hits rate and the absolute acoustic emission amplitude
rate are changing from approximately the middle of the test, and are rising significantly when
the ultimate load is achieved.

Figure 5. Applied load and hits rate vs. time Figure 6. Applied load & amplitude vs. time

2.2.4 Continuous loading with the use of imperforated rubber backing

Similarly to tests with perforated rubber, it can be seen that there is a little acoustic
activity during the beginning stage of test (Fig. 7 and 8). In both cases this is explained with
the absence of friction between the loading plates and the sample. The hits rate and the
maximum amplitude follow the increase of the applied load in a similar way; they are
changing rapidly from approximately the middle of the test, and are rising significantly when
the ultimate load is achieved.
 NDTCE’09, Non-Destructive Testing in Civil Engineering
Nantes, France, June 30th – July 3rd, 2009

Figure 7. Applied load and hits rate vs. time Figure 8. Applied load & amplitude vs. time

2.3 Bending Strength

Bending strength testing was conducted in two different ways: according to HRN EN
12390-5:2001 and cyclic loading. Beam specimens were tested with a span length of 30 cm at
the crosshead velocity of 0.02 MPa/s. Cyclic loading was performed in such manner that the
loading steps would be approximately 1/3 of concrete bending strength. Cyclic loading was
performed to monitor the appearance of Kaiser effect. The average bending strength of the
samples was 5.35 MPa.

2.3.1 Bending Test of Concrete Prisms

The results of the bending test of concrete prisms are presented in Figures 9 and 10.

Figure 9. Applied load and hits rate vs. time Figure 10. Applied load & amplitude vs. time
The AE parameters, the hits rate and the maximum amplitude follow the increase of the
applied load in a similar way. The hits rate remains rather negligible during the test and
rapidly increases just before the bending strength is reached (Fig. 9). The maximum
amplitude changes during the tests with the increase of applied load, and reaches the extreme
amplitude at breaking point (Fig. 10).

2.3.2 Cyclic Bending Test of Concrete Prisms

Cyclic loading results confirm the existence of the Kaiser effect. Unlike the cyclic loading
during compression strength testing there was no significant AE at load level below the
previous maximum applied level, (Figures 11 and 12).
 NDTCE’09, Non-Destructive Testing in Civil Engineering
Nantes, France, June 30th – July 3rd, 2009

Figure 11. Applied load and hits rate vs. time Figure 12. Applied load & amplitude vs. time

3 Discussion and Conclusions

The experiments described above were carried out with the primary objective to gain
experience with AE testing equipment and techniques. While the main goal was reached, new
questions were raised during the course of the study as well.
The results of the investigation were summarized by the following concluding statements:
The acoustic emission methods can be used as a reliable method for detection of cracking in
concrete. Maximum amplitude varies during the test, but it seems that the maximum value is
reached when a major crack occurs in the concrete. During the unloading, the AE activities
disappear. The absolute values of the AE parameters as given by the individual AE sensors
are difficult to be compared directly. Sensor characteristics, quality of the contact between
each sensor and the concrete surface, and local concrete porosity significantly influence
acoustic acquisition. It can be noticed that there is a difference on the type of the loading
conditions. Uniaxial loading results with a weak acoustic activity before the failure of the
sample, respectively to the triaxial compressive strength testing.

Acknowledgments
This research was performed within scientific project “From Nano- to Macro-structure of
Concrete”, 082-0822161-2990, funded by Croatian Ministry of education, science and sport.

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